De-seated PTI MPA gets PML-N ticket for Lahore by-poll

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has awarded the party ticket to a former PTI MPA Nazir Chohan, who was de-seated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for voting in favour of Hamza Shahbaz during the election for chief minister Punjab, ARY NEWS reported.

The PML-N awarded ticket to Nazir Chohan for PP-167 and PML-N leaders including Shaista Pervaiz Malik accompanied him to submit his nomination papers.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has faced backlash from within the party over the plan to award party tickets to dissident PTI MPAs in Punjab Assembly who were de-seated for voting in favour of Hamza Shahbaz during the election for chief minister Punjab.

According to sources within PML-N, the local PTI leadership in the constituencies are not ready to accept dissident PTI lawmakers as their candidates. “PML-N has faced a severe backlash from local party leaders and therefore, some of them will be contesting elections as independent candidates,” they said.

The sources further shared that the PML-N will not field its candidate against the dissident lawmakers. “If PML-N awards party tickets to dissident MPAs then it might result in divisions with the ranks besides also chances of defeat for the candidate,” they said.

Asad Khokhar, Nouman Langrial, Ghulam Rasool, Ajmal Cheema, Lala Tahir Randhawa, Salman Naeem, and Nazir Chohan will contest by-polls scheduled in July as independent candidates.

The PML-N sources said that the party would award tickets to any candidate who wanted it and will not leave those who supported them in a difficult time.